Looks like Roadburn 2018 is already doing that thing that Roadburns do where they completely overwhelm with their scope and the promise of what’s to come with their lineup each year. This is, what, the second announcement for next April? Seems early for such things, but to have Weedeater confirmed to play God Luck and Good Speed and Greenmachine doing all of D.A.M.N. is pretty gosh darn special. I’m eager to find out who’s going to be the artist-in-residence — though Walter very pointedly uses “artists” below, so maybe there’s more than one — but there’s plenty to chew on in the meantime, so I won’t delay any further and let you get to it.

Also note the new venue. This fest just keeps expanding. Pretty soon every streetcorner in Tilburg will have a Roadburn venue. I’d be cool with that, by the way. Totally cool with that.

Here’s the latest:

ROADBURN 2018: Further names confirmed ahead of ticket onsale

– Cult of Luna and Julie Christmas to perform Mariner for the final time at Roadburn 2018

– Weedeater will play God Luck and Good Speed in full

– Grave Pleasures confirmed

– Greenmachine will play D.A.M.N in full as part of Jacob Bannon’s curation

Sixteen new artists have been confirmed for Roadburn 2018 ahead of tickets going on sale next week, on October 19.

Artistic Director, Walter Hoeijmakers commented: “We’re thrilled to bring you this set of announcements ahead of the tickets going on sale next week. We have a lot more still to come including our Artists in Residence for 2018, and two specially commissioned performances. The artists that we’ve commissioned will be familiar to Roadburners, but they will be performing pieces of music that have never been heard before – just for us! We’re still confirming the final details before we can announce those shows but we already know this is going to raise the creative bar for Roadburn.

“We’re also very pleased to confirm that we’ll be making use of a new venue at Roadburn 2018. In response to feedback from our attendees, we have found the perfect space at the Koepelhal – just up the road from the 013 – to spread out a little bit and provide a fantastic space for bands and audiences alike.”

CULT OF LUNA AND JULIE CHRISTMAS

No strangers to the Roadburn stage, Cult of Luna have a rich back catalogue that has traversed many a strange land over their almost two decades. But when they teamed up with inimitable New Yorker, Julie Christmas, to create 2016’s Mariner album, the collaboration brewed up something truly magical.

Originally planned as a studio-only venture, the Swedish-American collaborators were coaxed into playing out last year as they performed a handful of European shows. The demand for North American shows warranted a short tour this past summer, and now they look to add a full stop to the Mariner experience, with a final performance at Roadburn 2018.

We find it hard to say no to Cult of Luna in any guise, so we’re thrilled that the feeling is mutual – and that this time around Julie will be along for the Roadburn ride to perform Mariner, in her words “one more fucking time!”. Whilst we are inclined to refute the adage that all good things must come to an end, if that’s really the case, we’re determined to give Mariner a proper send off.

Cult of Luna and Julie Christmas will perform Mariner on Thursday, 19 April at the 013 venue. Read more here.

WEEDEATER

Weedeater have always epitomised the true essence of what “stoner” music should be. It’s not enough to just add fuzz, or to jam out for hours while super high. Weedeater flirt unashamedly with doom and sludge, they have bite, a sharp attitude, gigantic riffs and a unique personality, not to mention the unpredictability factor brought by Dixie Dave’s irresistible antics.

Which is why, in 2018, the return of the much-loved weed-fuelled trio is not just a “normal” return. Braces yourselves… Weedeater are going to play, exclusively for Roadburn, their seminal 2007 album God Luck And Good Speed in full.

We’ll let you know what time Weedeater will be playing on Thursday, 19 April at the 013 venue in a few months, but you know it doesn’t matter – it’ll be 4:20 in any case. Read more here.

GRAVE PLEASURES

Grave Pleasures have now finally truly arrived at the peak of their creative powers; their new album Motherblood is a truly defining piece of work that will delight anyone – old Beastmilk fans, more recent Grave Pleasures devotees, absolute newcomers, essentially everyone with ears will not be able to resist the cheeky, mischievous glee with which the Finnish band welcome the end times.

As part of Jacob Bannon’s curation, Japan’s GREENMACHiNE will reunite and perform their D.A.M.N. album in its entirety at Roadburn Festival 2018. Originally released by Man’s Ruin Records in 1995, D.A.M.N. is the monumental album that raised GREENMACHiNE to cult like status, making them the Japanese counterpart to bands like Buzzoven, Cavity, Jesuit, and others. Its sound blurred the lines between Stoner Rock, Sludge/Doom, and Hardcore/Punk worlds.

Jacob Bannon comments: “D.A.M.N.” was released by Man’s Ruin Records during the golden era of that influential label. For me, GREENMACHiNE were one of the bands that really connected with me in that stable. They were more intense than other releases the label was producing, and their origins within the Japanese Punk/Hardcore scene made them a welcomed mystery. A quality that was deepened by their subsequent breakups and brief reformations throughout the years. I am excited to finally see them unleash these brutal songs live at Roadburn 2018, it is an exclusive experience that is not to be missed.”

Greenmachine will perform as part of Jacob Bannon’s curation at Het Patronaat on Saturday, 21 April. Read more here.

FUTURE OCCULTISM

Currently reinventing himself musically and spiritually, ever forward thinking and his eyes and ears set on the future, is Dutch breakcore pioneer, Bong-Ra. Together with his cohorts – whether it’s his partner in dark matters, Svart Lava, or by way of inspiring the elusive Phuture Doom collective – they are pairing a futuristic take on modern day occultism with an eclectic outlook on (doom) metal and electronics.

Future Occultism will be presented at Roadburn in three parts: Bong-Ra, Servants Of The Apocalyptic Goat Rave (the binary view and vision of Future Occultism), and Phuture Doom (their preachings: digital sonic alchemy).

Future Occultism will take place in the 013 venue on Thursday, 19 April. Read more here.

Already announced: Godspeed You! Black Emperor playing two sets, Converge (performing You Fail Me, and The Dusk In Us in full), Hugsjá (a collaboration between Ivar Bjørnson and Einar Selvik), Panopticon playing two sets, The Heads, Bell Witch, Ex Eye, Igorrr, Sangre De Muerdago, Aerial Ruin.

NEW VENUE: KOEPELHAL

As Roadburn’s popularity has increased over the years, we have strived to maintain the intimate atmosphere whilst comfortably accommodating our growing audience, and the demand for certain shows. We’re thrilled our 2018 edition will see the introduction of the Koepelhal as a Roadburn venue.

Located just a few minutes walk from the 013, the venue will house our merchandise for artists (meaning a return to a more laid back atmosphere and greater opportunity for interaction between bands and fans!), as well as being used as a 1,200 capacity stage on the Friday and Saturday of Roadburn 2018! This will allow us a bit more room and help to avoid queues, which we know will please attendees! More info on venues will be available in due course.

TICKET ONSALE INFORMATION

Roadburn 2018 tickets will go on sale on October 19. They will be available to purchase in person from the 013 box office from 18.30- 20.30 local time, and online worldwide from 21.00 CEST / 20:00 BST /15:00 EDT / 12:00 PDT.

3 and 4 day tickets will be available, with day tickets going on sale at a later date.

Camping tickets will also be available to purchase, with additional options (such as Festipis and camper vans) also possible. This year the urban campsite will be in a new location – but still within walking distance to the 013 venue – providing a comfortable and affordable option for Roadburn attendees.

I’ve seen a few YuberToube clips in the last couple weeks that come with a warning for flashing lights and sharp cuts and such that might trigger epileptics to have a seizure. Seems fair enough. Sannhet‘s new clip for “Slow Ruin” from their 2013 Known Flooddebut album on Sacrament Music doesn’t have one, but it easily could for its do-not-adjust-your-set intro or when the blastbeats kick in and our heroine, seemingly confined to a white-but-not-padded box, begins to make a clay version of herself to then cast into the ocean. Take that, constructed identities! Director AJ Annunziata, who also serves as bassist in the sample-prone Brooklyn instrumental post-metal trio, does well in aligning the visual to the audio of the track, which appears here somewhat edited from its seven-minute form on the album, much of the last two minutes of which was given to a wash of droning noise.

One of the highlight aspects of Known Flood(discussed here) is the efficiency with which Sannhet ebb and flow between black-metal-derived blasting and ambient explorations, and even abridged in terms of the latter, “Slow Ruin” brings that duality to light. Brutality and post-rock-style airiness persist in the guitars of Christopher Todd and drummer John Refano fluidly holds the song together in its torrential onslaught, the final product eliciting a feel of entranced worship as much as sonic punishment, calling later Godflesh to mind early but building up to something with an entirely different kind of seething at its center.

Word on the street is Sannhet will release a new digital single next month, and for those of you in that part of the world, they’ll be playing the St. Vitus bar in Brooklyn this Friday, Oct. 18, with Pelican, Phantom Glue, KingsDestroy, Pyrrhonand Wreck and Reference as part of the second night of Invisible Oranges’ showcase for CMJ. Quite an evening. Here’s the video:

It’s been a while since the LP came out, but after adding them to The Obelisk Radio, I’ve been looking for an excuse to review Known Flood, the debut from Brooklyn-based post-metallers Sannhet, I guess I’ve just found one. Sannhet will release Known Flood on CD through Consouling Sounds (the vinyl was on Sacrament Music) on July 8 in Europe and July 9 in North America.

Details, audio and pre-order links follow, courtesy of the PR wire:

SANNHET: Debut LP From Brooklyn Trio To See CD Release

Following is successful vinyl/digital release in February — the maiden release from Brooklyn-based Sacrament Music — Known Flood, the debut album from trio SANNHET, is now confirmed for release on CD via Consouling Sounds.

With nearly forty-five minutes of electrified post-metal, fueled with domineering riff-building movements and intense percussive hostility, Known Flood unifies SANNHET’s lightly blackened atmospheric style, captured by Colin Marston (Krallice, Behold… The Arctopus, Dysrhythmia) and mastered by Carl Saff. The album and the band’s live performances across the NYC region supporting it have captivated fans and media alike, the band’s unique approach standing out in heavy contrast in an otherwise massively oversaturated genre. SANNHET bends genres effortlessly, and blends it together in a coherent monster of an album. 45 minutes of adventurous aural bliss pass in the blink of an eye.

Licensed directly from Sacrament Music, the CD version of Known Flood will be made available through Belgium-based Consouling Sounds, the label’s aim to put extraordinary music in the post, doom and ambient niche and sub niches into the spotlight. Set for European release on July 8th, and North American release a day later,preorders for the disc are available HERE. The album is also still available on LP and digitally via Sacrament MusicRIGHT HERE.

Locals can catch them on June 28th supporting Locrian at Saint Vitus Bar in Brooklyn, home to Sacrament Music. Stay tuned for more SANNHET live/tour dates to be announced in the coming weeks.

With shades of industrial, black and post-metal, Brooklyn’s Sannhet cast a deep shadow with Known Flood, their debut LP. And then they hide in that shadow, and they lurk around for a while, all creepy-like. The trio released Known Floodon vinyl last week through Sacrament Music, the new imprint cast by the crew at the St. Vitus bar, and with its forward-thinking approach to churning tonal oppression, transitional drones and ambient heft, I can’t help but think it’s a good fit. Very easy to imagine this noise filling that room.

The record (produced by Colin Marston of Behold… theArctopus!, et al) is consuming when played at high volume, with a kind of surrounding effect coming from tracks like the centerpiece “Moral” or the subsequent “Slow Ruin,” which effectively touches on Neurosis crunch without simply aping it. Sannhet sound bigger than three people and add chaos by means of an assortment of loops and samples handled by drummer Christopher Todd and guitarist John Refano — the lineup is completed by AJ Annunziata on bass — but at the root of Known Floodis a fierce grip on aesthetic and directionality and an obvious push toward the sonically extreme. Whether it’s an earlier bruiser like “Safe Passage” or the final ambient swell of closer “Flatlands,” screaming or instrumental, Sannhet make each turn consistent, dark and intricate.

Textures unveil themselves more with each listen as vague samples become clarified standouts, and repetitions become all the more engrossing and hypnotic. “Still Breathing,” the penultimate and longest track (7:46), also proves the most patient in its unfolding, but when it reaches its apex, there is a shattering effect that’s not to be missed, Refano and Annunziata mounting a linear build that Todd makes turbulent with the addition of blastbeats and corresponding open crashes. Eventually, they break through it with a sweeping payoff that, but for the malevolent noise underscoring “Flatlands,” would be a fitting end to the album.

Glad to have Known Flood added to The Obelisk Radio, and if you’d like to experience it en masse, please refer to the stream below, courtesy of the Sannhet Bandcamp: